UChicago psychologist shares his No.1 brain hack for critical thinking and memory skills: Think in a foreign language [Video]

Speaking two languages doesn’t just expand your ability to communicate globally.

It can make you more rational, improve your decision-making skills and boost your memory, says University of Chicago psychology professor David Gallo.

“Having a lifetime experience in switching between languages exercises your brain in a way that monolinguals don’t get,” Gallo, the director of UChicago’s Memory Research Laboratory, tells CNBC Make It. “Monolinguals don’t develop as rich [mental] connections, and the ability to switch on and off different mental states.”

Gallo’s current work focuses on how speaking multiple languages can affect your cognition. Along with fellow UChicago psychology professor Boaz Keysar, he found something potentially counterintuitive: When you process information in your secondary language, you make more rational and logical decisions.

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That finding also applies to critical thinking and memory, both of which are crucial skills …